- Nevada Northern Railway Museum
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Nevada Northern Railway East Ely Yards, East Ely Depot
Passenger train operated by the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, at the Museum's East Ely depot, September 2007.
Location: Ely, Nevada Coordinates: 39°15′33″N 114°52′6″W / 39.25917°N 114.86833°WCoordinates: 39°15′33″N 114°52′6″W / 39.25917°N 114.86833°W Built: 1905 Architect: Frederick Hale Architectural style: Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals Governing body: State NRHP Reference#: 93000693 (yards), 84002082 (depot) Significant dates Added to NRHP: July 29, 1993[1] (yards), April 12, 1984[2] (depot) Designated NHLD: September 20, 2006[3] The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is a railroad museum located in Ely, Nevada and operated by a historic foundation dedicate to the preservation of the railroad.
Museum activities include restoration and operation of historic railroad equipment, steam-powered excursions throughout the year, winter photo shoots, locomotive rentals, hand car races, lectures, an annual railroad history symposium, changing exhibits, and a variety of special events.
Contents
Location
The museum is situated at the East Ely Yards, which are part of the Nevada Northern Railway. The site is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places as the Nevada Northern Railway East Ely Yards and Shops and is also known as the "Nevada Northern Railway Complex". The rail yards were listed as a National Historic Landmark of the United States on September 27, 2006.[3]
"The Nevada Northern Railway Complex is the best-preserved, least altered, and most complete main yard complex remaining from the steam railroad era. It was established in 1905 to support the area's booming copper mining industry. The era of dieselization of the railroad industry during the second half of the 20th century led to alterations and demolitions of railroad yards and shops nationwide. The East Ely yard escaped modernization because of its geographical remoteness and the decline of the mining industry it once served."[4]
Collection
The museum collection includes three steam locomotives, an electric locomotive, and several diesel-electric locomotives, as well as a collection of maintenance equipment and numerous historic freight and passenger rail cars. Usually two of the steam locomotives are in operation in regularly scheduled events throughout the year. Check the web site for details.
The museum also maintains an extensive fleet of its original rolling stock, including passenger cars, wood-side box cars, ore cars, and work trains, all dating from the 1910s. It has the oldest operating tank car and the oldest operating coal-fired steam crane on any American railroad.
During the 2002 Winter Olympics, held in Salt Lake City, the railroad was part of the Olympic Steam Team, carrying spectators to the Soldier Hollow Olympic venue. The railroad's No. 93 steam-engine, joined Utah's Heber Valley Railroad's Nos. 618 and 75 steam-engines, in pulling eight-car trains full of passengers, to the Soldier Hollow depot where they disembarked and continued to the venue entrance on a horse-drawn sleigh.[5] The day prior to the Opening Ceremony of the games, all three locomotives were combined into one triple-headed train, and used to transport the Olympic flame from Soldier Hollow to Heber City, Utah as part of the torch relay.[6]
Depot building
The East Ely Depot served passengers on the Nevada Northern. The Mission Revival style depot was designed by Frederick Hale and built in 1907. It reflects a standardized vernacular that borrows primarily from the Mission Revival style, as well as from Renaissance Revival.
The two story depot is set on a stone foundation. The ground floor is rusticated stone, separated from the upper level by a painted stone belt course, with a stuccoed second story. The gables are curvilinear in the accepted Mission Revival style. The well-preserved interior retains separate men's and women's waiting rooms, with baggage and express rooms. Offices are on the second floor.[7]
The depot was a significant location on the Nevada Northern as the chief embarkation point for the copper mining region of White Pine County. The location of the depot was a matter of controversy between the railroad and residents of Ely, who successfully sued the railroad to change the depot's name from Ely to East Ely to reflect its distance from the main townsite. The railroad, originally owned by the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, was transferred to the Kennecott Copper Company in 1933 when it took over Consolidated's mining operations. Passenger service on the Nevada Northern stopped in 1941,[7] and the depot was used for Kennecott offices until 1985. The state of Nevada acquired the depot in 1990 for the museum.
The East Ely Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[2]
Heritage railroad
The museum operates a short rail line that was formerly owned by the Nevada Northern Railway as a heritage railroad. This line was called the "Ore Line" and the museum runs excursion trains westward from Ely to Ruth, and northeast from Ely to the vicinity of McGill. One of the trains is advertised as the Ghost Train of Old Ely.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b [? "Nevada Northern Railway, East Ely Yards"]. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. ?. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
- ^ U.S. Senator Harry Reid's website
- ^ Salt Lake Organizing Committee (2001). Official Spectator Guide. p. 211.
- ^ Keith Albrandt (2002). "Salt Lake City 2002 XIX Olympic Winter Games Steam Team". Nevada Northern & Railroads of White Pine County website. http://history.nevadanorthernrailway.net/olympics/olympics.htm. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ^ a b Rajala, Karen (August 11, 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination: East Ely Depot". National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/84002082.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
External links
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other National Register of Historic Places in White Pine County, Nevada American Legion Hall • Baker Ranger Station • Capital Theater • Central Theater • East Ely Depot • Ely L. D. S. Stake Tabernacle • Fort Ruby • Fort Schellbourne • Fort Schellbourne (Boundary Increase) • Johnson Lake Mine Historic District • McGill Drug Store • Lehman Orchard and Aqueduct • Nevada Northern Railway East Ely Yards and Shops • Osceola (East) Ditch • Rhodes Cabin • Sunshine Locality • Ward Charcoal Ovens • White Pine County Courthouse
National Register of Historic Places listings in Nevada · Nevada State Historic Places by countyCategories:- Historic districts in Nevada
- 1905 architecture
- Railroad museums in Nevada
- Heritage railroads in Nevada
- National Historic Landmarks in Nevada
- Railway-related listings on the National Register of Historic Places
- Museums in White Pine County, Nevada
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